Untouched
by Arcana Major
Summary: "They say that when close to death, your life flashes before your eyes. The irony isn't lost on me." One-shot. Slight Clark Kent/Jordan Cross


**Title:** Untouched

**Pairing:** One-sided Clark Kent/Jordan Cross

**Time Frame:** 3.12 _'Hereafter'_

**Summary:** They say that when close to death, your life flashes before your eyes. The irony isn't lost on me.

**Disclaimer:** I own none of the characters of 'Smallville'. The rights belong to Alfred Gough & Miles Millar. I do not use them for any means of fiscal gain.

***

They say that when close to death, your life flashes before your eyes.

The irony isn't lost on me.

I'm cursed, the slightest contact with any person and a curtain gets thrown back in my mind. Images in my mind, images of the future. Trust me it isn't as good as it sounds, I can't predict the lottery or anything similarly normal. Normal? As if such things are normal.

I can tell you when and how you'll die. As I can with anyone I touch, and I don't just see it, I feel it too. Whether it be a gradual fading as someone reaches the end of their life; or an abrupt violent departure as they encounter the darker side of the world. Either way I die with them.

All my life I've been isolated from the world, ever since the 'incident', my world stopped at my front door. I used to spend hours at a time staring out of my bedroom window; yearning to experience the outside world and yet fearing it at the same time. At first I couldn't truly understand the burden that I held; I thought that I had caused it, that I was to blame. After that I was petrified of over coming into contact with people, I didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of me.

Dad pulled me out of school and taught me from home from that point and for a while it was okay. It was almost as if what I had seen had just been an awful nightmare nothing else. My Dad seemed to be immune, I saw nothing when I touched him; so it was easy to try and forget but it never truly went away, the knowledge of what I could do was always there lurking at the edge of my mind.

But all that changed later. I was in the garden, it was the most freedom I ever got, and even then my Dad always kept an eye on me.

It seemed innocuous enough, it just seemed like any other rock at first look. But when I looked closer I could see angular chunks of something that resembled a green gemstone. I picked it up and stared at it, almost entranced. It seemed to glow with some faint inner

light, that grew more intensive as I continued to look a it.

"Jordan?" I could hear Dad calling from the house, but I barely noticed it still enthralled in the rock in my hands.

"Jordan?". He was coming closer, the familiar note of worry creeping into his voice. Then everything seemed to happen at once. I felt my Dad's hand on my shoulder; there was a bright flare of emerald, green light from the rock in my hands, as I felt the familiar disorientation of being pulled into a vision.

_The room was sombre, as the people regarded the occupant of the bed. Various tubes and wires ran from him to a strange assortment of machines arrayed around his bed. He saw himself, older, head bowed as he held the hand of the elderly man in the bad. The man's eyes slowly closed, the only sound left the long, unending tone from the EKG. "Bye, Dad" He heard himself say._

I gasped as I came out of the vision; dropping the rock like it had scalded me, it's glow now vanished. I scrabbled madly away, pressing my hands into my eyes as tough I could scrub away the image of what I had seen. My throat clenched, the contents of my stomach threatening to vacate my stomach quite rapidly.

I finally managed to force myself to look at my Dad, there was look of concern on his face but there was something else; something in his eyes. He knew what I had seen, I could tell, he knew that I knew when he was going to die.

Things changed after that, not on the surface at least, he always continued to look out for me and worry about me just as much as before but now there was a distance between us. he had become more withdrawn. I think he did his best to try and not think about it but it was obvious that it weighed heavily on him; he never pressed me on it, never asked me what I'd seen but it had him scared, I could tell.

Despite this I still wanted to get out of the house more, and experience the outside world. It took a while but eventually I managed to wear Dad down until he consented to let attend Smallville High. It wasn't without conditions however, I had to come straight home after school let out and I wasn't allowed to join in with any extracurricular activities. Despite this I was happy, I would finally be able to experience everything that that normal kids did.

It didn't last though. They say that High School is a battlefield at the best of times, with all the different cliques arrayed against each other and a liberal dose of hormones on top to amplify it all. Being able to see everyone's ultimate end only made it more difficult.

Walking down the corridor was like entering a minefield; disease, old age, people being stabbed, shot, burnt, hit by cars, as well things that defy imagination. I came close, so close to just giving up and retreating back to my enforced exile.

But then I met Clark and everything changed. He was different, how else could he manage to change the outcome of one of my visions? He actually seemed to want to be my friend, beyond just being my school-assigned 'mentor'. He felt safe, I don't know why, it was just as though no matter what happened he would always be there to set it right.

When I saw his future, it was like a supernova exploding in my head. Flying and falling at the same time. The vastness of the universe laid bare.

No death, just life without end.

Suddenly it made sense, that how he could save Mr. Altman, whatever made him different allowed him to change destiny.

I felt a new emotion surge through me, totally unfamiliar to me, hope; I felt buoyed there was light in the world.

That's why I tried to stop Megan, I didn't have to sit back and just wait for to happen, I could make a difference. She just wouldn't listen though, she just looked at me like I was a freak.

When I saw Lana's future again, it freaked me out. I've never had a vision change before. It just didn't happen. So I did the only thing I could, I went to Clark.

From them it was a blur of images, sounds and sensations. The adrenaline coursing through me blinded me to nearly all of my surroundings, all I knew was that I had to save them.

Fire, screaming, choking smoke, the acrid smell of gas in the air, pictures, trophies, dolls; scrabbling with ropes, more screaming, someone grabbing me; flashes, surges in my head, image on image on image.

Everything went black.

_I don't remember much to be honest. _

_there was just blackness and sense of falling few flashes of something else a light? _

_a woman? _

_she smiled she was seemed sad happy and all other emotions at once_

_she said something she didn't her lips weren't moving _

"_be safe honey"_

_she was familiar knew her_

_Mom?_

There was cool air on my face, dragging me towards consciousness; I could vaguely make out someone hanging over me, a formless, blurry shape. With a rush, clarity came. Clark's face was staring down at me, concern disturbing his features. He was holding me, supporting me as my strength still refused to return to my limbs.

Gently, he brushed a hand against my cheek. I braced myself against the inevitable onslaught of images. That never came.

Finally I was free.

They say when close to death, your life flashes before your eyes. I disagree. Right now, looking at Clark, I saw nothing of the past, only the future.


End file.
